Plastic molding may sound simple, but in reality, the industry is anything but. The engineers and designers at plastic molding companies and packaging companies have to have an encyclopedic knowledge of the industry, the latest advances, the materials available to them and how they can manipulate and thermoform packaging. Only then are they able to make a name for themselves in this industry.

Remembering Science Class

The best plastic manufacturers have an extensive knowledge of chemistry and physics, because you can’t work with these materials without it. Plastics are synthetic materials, and they can be manipulated at a molecular level, making them customizable but potentially difficult to work with. If you don’t know what you’re doing, altering the structure of a synthetic can severely compromise its integrity. If you do know what you’re doing, on the other hand, you can customize and craft with plastic as easily as a child does with clay, making the molding of plastics all the easier.

Assessing a Situation

Because plastic molding companies do so much work in custom packaging solutions, they have to communicate with clients to determine the best type of material for the job. If a manufacturer isn’t experienced working with many different types of materials, or they simply don’t know the potential of them, this can result in a lackluster product. However, companies that know the industry well and are confident in their ability to work with different materials can guide the client toward the plastic that is ideal for their product’s packaging.

Combining Form and Function

The best product packaging designs incorporate both style and substance, so plastic manufacturers have to be as creative as they are experienced. Custom packaging requires ingenuity and the ability to understand a product’s shelf appeal—that way, the designer can craft something that is both practical and marketable. Again, if the manufacturer doesn’t know how to properly form and manipulate different types of plastic, this isn’t possible.